830-meter long chadar may not be unfurled on Shah Jahan's urs at Taj

On the eve of the annual urs (birth anniversary) of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, to be celebrated for three days at the Taj Mahal, starting May 3, the hundreds of meters long multi-colored chadar that becomes the highlight of the celebrations each year, has fallen into controversy, with the authorities not ready to allow the chadar to be unfurled inside the monument campus, citing security risks.

The chadar is offered on the grave of emperor Shah Jahan by the Khuddam-e-Roza committee, headed by Tahiruddin Tahir. Each year, the length of the chadar increases by dozens of meters as new multi-colored pieces of cloth are added to it. Last year, the chadar was 830 meters long and this year, it is expected to touch 900 meters.

The ASI and CISF officials claim that since the entry to the Taj Mahal is free on all three days of the urs and the entry frisking at the monument has to be relaxed to allow the sudden influx of devotees, the 830-meter long chadar becomes a grave security threat to the monument in its unfurled form as it needs to be supported by hundreds of devotees as it is laid across the monument premises and around the main dome. Frisking each devotee as he enters the monument becomes extremely difficult and hence, the committee was asked to offer the chadar in a tightly bound form. However, the committee has not yet confirmed its agreement to this condition.

Talking to India Today, Mufti Mudassar Ali Qadri said that traditionally, a chadar could not be longer than the grave it is supposed to cover. If it is any longer than that, it is un-Islamic and the offering of such a chadar was just for the personal amusement and pomp of the organizers of such an offering and the Muslim community was urged not to think of it as a religious act.

Besides, he said, the security of the Taj Mahal was paramount and in the guise of devotees, even terrorists and mischievous elements could enter the premises. He said that it was the responsibility of the entire community to safeguard the monument from such threats and if the authorities are suggesting any workaround to resolve the conflict about the offering of chadar, the organizers should defer to the decision of the authorities.

Hotel and Restaurants Association president Rakesh Chauhan said that although entry to the Taj mahal is free for all tourists during the urs, the mismanagement and crowd during the Urs makes it very difficult for the foreign tourists to enter and view the monument. The Urs management committees should ensure that the Taj Mahal remains the peaceful and serene monument it is known as, even during the urs.